New iPads: why Apple must surprise us

At the launch of the iPhone 5S, Apple shocked geeks by putting a 64-bit processor inside a tiny device, and excited enthusiasts with a surprisingly cool fingerprint sensor.

It was enough for the world’s biggest technology company to maintain its image as an innovator, because it not only opened the door to a new generation of computing power in mobile phones – it also had a little wow-factor.

Tomorrow, however, the new iPads that are predicted are slightly thinner or lighter, with better screens and maybe with the fingerprint sensor – none of that will excite consumers as much as the iPhone 5S, even if many will still queue up around the block and overnight to get hold of one in time for Christmas.

Apple needs these new devices to preserve the momentum that means every Christmas is now a “tablet Christmas”, in which, for instance, John Lewis predicts it will sell a tablet every 15 seconds.

But it needs users who are still delighted with their original iPads, and who have benefited from free software updates, to feel as though they are missing out on something seriously useful.

That’s easier said than done – tablets are increasingly about apps, and updating the camera is rather less useful on a tablet than it is on a phone. The hardware of a tablet is becoming commoditised, even if Apple's remain the hottest commodities.

So what can we expect from Apple? There’s likely to be a serious push on the idea that the iPad is as much for content creation as it is for simply browsing the web and playing games.

That, in essence, it can take on the laptop, even if the launch coincides with the launch of new Apple laptops.

And it’s why there is a chance that Apple may also unveil a cover that offers a keyboard almost built-in to the iPad. If they do that then they must take on the Microsoft Surface, which does just that really well.

But more importantly, delivering on that idea will maintain Apple’s reputation for innovating and surprising – and it will definitely give users who haven’t yet upgraded something they know they’re missing out on.